But there are many different roles for characters in the game, more than I can possibly name or imagine. In many ways, a role is like a career, in that it largely determines what skills you will choose for your character to help him or her become as successful as they can. But a role can be more than simply a profession. A character may be a cobbler, yet at the same time be a doorwarden for a gang of jewel thieves operating from the back room of his shop. Another character might be captain of a mercenary company, while at the same time operating as grandmaster of a secret society dedicated to peace and the brotherhood of man. So don't let your character's chosen profession limit the roles he or she might choose to fill. Just because you are a rice grinder doesn't mean you spend all your time grinding rice.

The following is but a small sampling of several archetypical characters, templates you may use when thinking about what kind of character you want to play. With each character archetype is a list of suggested skills which the beginning character might need in order to fulfill his chosen role. These are only suggestions and should be adjusted to meet the history and particular needs of each character. Skills will be explained in greater detail in coming articles.

OF NOTE: In the descriptions, I make use the masculine pronoun in reference to characters for the sake of simplicity. In some ways, gender roles in Chan-la are quite rigid, while in other ways they are flexible. For example, only a male character can be a eunuch warrior (for obvious reasons), but both males and females can be concubines, or for that matter the owner of concubines. At the family level, men and women often fall into traditional roles of provider and caregiver, yet at the same time there is nothing in the society to prevent or even discourage the reversal of those roles. The Lohan monasteries accept men and women equally, as does the Kang, while being a Shinta warrior is a hereditary role for both men and women. Race is often of greater import to the availability of roles, profession, training, and social class. The use of the masculine pronoun in reference to characters is not indicative of the expected gender of those archetypes.

Lohan Monk

To become a monk of a Lohan monastery requires dedication and self-sacrifice on an enormous level, but the rewards are quite extraordinary. Most monks first enter the monastery at a young age – between ten and twelve years old is the average. Both males and females may become Lohan monks, but only if they are full-blooded Chan. Non-Chan, or those of mixed heritage, cannot enter Lohan.

Upon entering the monastery, the monk takes vows of poverty, humility, and obedience to the abbot and senior monks, gives up all personal possessions, and has his head shaved (both male and female). From that moment until he becomes a senior monk, he is not allowed to leave the monastery except in the company of a senior monk. During the first five or six years (depending on the age of the monk when he enters Lohan), he spends his days following a strict regimen of duties and chores, exercise, study, and meditation. If, during this period, the junior monk cannot withstand the rigors of the monastic lifestyle, he may renounce his vows and leave Lohan, but he can never return. Junior monks wear simple clothes of a style similar to the peasant clothing of the region.

Sometime during his teens, the monk is allowed to begin martial skill training. Lohan monks are known throughout the empire for their Qigung and fighting skills. All Lohan monks seeking martial skills are first instructed in what is known as 'The Five Animal Styles of Lohan': these are the boxing styles tiger, crane, snake, dragon, and monkey. So intensive is this training that all five styles are learned at once. Once the monk's masters have deemed him a disciple of the five styles, he must choose one style in which to continue his studies. He can continue to study one of the traditional animal styles, or he can begin to study an entirely new style. However, further training beyond disciple-level progresses at the normal rate. It usually takes about two years to complete the Five Animal Styles training and then move on to master a single style.

However, not all monks at Lohan learn Qigung and boxing. Many become artisans, scholars, craftsmen, or ministers of the temple, working together to keep and maintain the rich tradition of Lohan.

Other useful skills : acupuncture, Feng Shui, heightened constitution, herbalism, history, literacy, musical instrument, navigation, philosophy, religion, survival, and teaching.

Upon obtaining the rank of senior monk, the monk renews his vows of poverty, humility, and obedience. He may continue his studies for as long as he wishes, or he may leave and minister to the world, but his vows stay with him the rest of his life. The Lohan monasteries do not teach the uninitiated nor do they loan out scrolls or books, but senior monks who have left the temple to minister to the world are free to spread the wisdom of Lohan, so long as they do it in the spirit of the temple. Senior monks who've left the monastery are called priests, but are otherwise identical to senior monks. They are not allowed to earn money or to own more than they themselves can carry. They cannot charge money for their services, but donations to the temple are gladly accepted (every Ken of which must be given over to the temple). Priests must rely on the hospitality of the people, or else beg for their food, but most villagers are glad to host a visiting priest simply because of the protection his skills offer, should bandits or monsters attack. The priest may return to any Lohan monastery at any time and receive food, shelter, sanctuary, healing, clothing, training, or whatever else he needs.

Senior monks wear a distinctive flowing gold robe over the clothing of a junior monk. The more senior the monk, the more elaborate the robe, with additions of red fringes, long strings of beads, and checkered under-robes. Abbots wear elaborate headgear as well.

If ever a senior monk acts in a manner contrary to his vows, he is summoned before the abbot of the nearest monastery to explain himself, and to receive punishment and absolution. If he refuses to appear before the abbot, he is hunted down to answer for his impertinence.

If a monk commits some heinous crime or evil deed and does not surrender himself to the nearest monastery, the abbot sends out a squad of assassin monks to execute punishment. Lohan does not train monks to be assassins; this is utterly contrary to the philosophies of the temple. However, when an errant monk has been placed under interdict, the Grand Abbot of Lohan chooses a group of senior monks whose training and skills best qualifies them for the task of hunting down and either capturing or killing the offending monk. These monks never give up until their task is completed. Not even the emperor will protect a monk under interdict by Lohan. The Phoenix Throne recognizes the right of Lohan to administer justice among its own monks, whether for punishment or for asylum; the only exception is treason or rebellion against the empire.

The Lohan priest who ministers to the world is a strange mixture of contradictions. Though dedicated to peace, he is arguably the best-trained fighter in the land. Though humble, he is accorded respect wherever he goes. He denies physical needs while training his body to the utmost of its physical abilities. He denies the physical world, yet ministers to it by aiding those in need. He is the embodiment of the duality of the tao, yet a priest of the god Bodah. Though a champion of all races against the evils of the world, he is also deeply prejudiced toward all things Chan. In the past, Lohan monks saved the Chan empire from invaders and usurpers on more than one occasion. Though they are supposed to be without pride, their failure to defend the empire against the Fong remains a festering wound to their pride.

Kang Soldier

Joining the Kang is rather like joining National Guard. Kang soldiers are not required to dedicate their entire lives to the military lifestyle, and for the most part they are free to travel. In times of peace, the Kang are required to spend one month out of the year on duty, usually patrolling barbarian frontiers, the southern jungles, or the Dien Forest in the north. Sometimes they spend their month of duty on river or coastal patrols. During the eleven months in which they are free to pursue their own goals and purposes, members of the Kang must check in periodically with the nearest guard post or Kang fortification, to find out if a muster has been called or if war emergency orders have been issued. In times of war, all Kang are required to move as quickly as possible to a predetermined mustering point.

However, most members of the Kang choose to remain on duty all year round. They are professional soldiers and prefer to eat the Emperor's rice, so to speak. Off-duty Kang must earn their own way and purchase their own supplies, provisions, and weapons, while Kang who are on duty receive all their living expenses free of charge, as well as earning their monthly wage. So, staying in the castle is often a more profitable and easier lifestyle than roughing it in the world.

Kang soldiers are required to take the following skills: Huang Gar boxing, broad sword, and spear.

Kang Warriors are those soldiers who have excelled in one or more of the requisite three martial skills. When a soldier of sufficient skill, he is promoted to the equivalent rank of sergeant, given the title of Warrior and its accompanying higher social rank, and allowed to learn to use the musket, pistol, and cannon.

Other useful skills are: animal handling, armorer, blacksmithing, cartography, cooking, engineering, gunsmithing, intimidation, navigation, seamanship, survival, and weaponsmithing. Additional boxing skills, weapon skills, and mystical skills like Qigung and Qi healing are also useful.

Only a person having at least 50% Fong ancestry can join the Kang. Other than the Fong nobility and the Shinta, only a Kang can own a firearm of any sort. Any non-noble found in possession of firearms or gunpowder who cannot prove his membership in the Kang is subject to arrest and execution.

Members of the Kang normally wear some form of armor over their normal clothing. Over the armor is worn a tabard with the blood red moon emblazoned on its front and back. Headgear consists of a modified pon which resembles a cross between a normal pon and the conical reed hat worn by Wapo peasants.

The adventuring Kang soldier can take any number of roles, from a crusading warrior to a base mercenary. He may spend his free time pursuing a career or skill, hire out as a caravan guard, or crawl through ruins in search of lost treasure and clues to the past. However, most Kang retain that esprit de corps instilled in them during their initial military training. The Kang is and always will be their home, the one place where they feel at ease, among trusty comrades-in-arms. Most also feel a deep sense of patriotism and responsibility to the emperor. They are not always the guardians of the weak, but many do accept this role and the honor it brings.

Shinta Warrior

The Shinta are the chivalric class of Chan-la. They are the Fong aristocracy and are the only people who can legally ride horses. The Fong military strength was once largely based on this class of mounted soldiery. Though they have largely been replaced on the battlefield by the well-armed Kang, the Shinta still maintain their martial traditions and hold a high place in Fong society. Once, members of the Shinta were drawn from the bravest and ablest warriors, but now Shinta titles have become hereditary. Only the children of Shinta may become Shinta. The only exception is when the emperor himself grants Shinta status to a Fong of great deeds and merits. Only a full-blooded Fong can inherit or be awarded the title of Shinta warrior, though most Fong can claim, at the very least, ancestral ties to the Shinta.

Though no longer strictly a military class, the Shinta maintain a rich martial tradition. All members of the Shinta are required to take the horse riding skill. They also tend to prefer the broad sword, spear, bow, pistol, and musket weapon skills, though a Shinta character may take whichever weapon skills he prefers. Other useful skills are: animal handling, artistry, cartography, dancing, engineering, gambling, heightened constitution, history, hunting, husbandry, intimidation, literacy, musical instrument, navigation, and singing. Boxing skills are also useful.

The Shinta are most easily recognized by their distinctive headgear – the phoenix hat. Otherwise, their dress and armor preferences are largely regional and may even be dictated by family traditions.

The adventuring Shinta warrior is usually a younger sibling of a large family. The duties required of older siblings often prevents their leaving home for long periods of time, especially in risky undertakings. Older brothers and sisters have a duty to continue the bloodline, a duty from which younger siblings are often glad to be free.

The training and philosophy of the Shinta is the driving force in their lives. They have a deep sense of pride which most often manifests itself as brash arrogance. They also have the fighting skills to back up their overweening sense of self-importance. However, being a Shinta is more than just riding horses and chopping things. The Shinta warrior is also expected to be proficient in fine arts like calligraphy, poetry, music, and dance. He is expected to be able to recite the classics. He is more than just a brute force. He is the representative of the finest in all things, the epitome of the gentlemen or lady.

Sorcerer or Magician

The magician is a figure most often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. Magicians study Pei Shi, or magic, learning ancient spells of power. Therefore, the primary skills of a mage characters are Pei Shi spells and, to a lesser extent, Qi techniques. To use legal magic, the mage must also have some skill in Qigung. Most magicians and sorcerers are Xao, for Xao masters of magic will only teach fellow Xao. Barbarians, meaning anyone not Xao, are forbidden to learn the greater spells.

Other useful skills for the magician are: any boxing or weapon skills, alchemy, appraising, artistry, astrology, casting, Feng Shui, herbalism, history, jewelry-making, leatherworking, literacy, masonry, philosophy, sleight of hand, tailor, teaching, weaving, and woodworking.

Sorcerers and magicians take many forms and fill many roles in Chan-la society. Some are hedge wizards and village witches, skilled in concocting the odd love potion or casting a spell to tame a rampaging bull. Some are street magicians, using their skills to awe the naïve. Others use magic in their everyday life, weaving mysticism with the mundane to create a better, perhaps easier life for themselves and their family. And then there are the truly dedicated sorcerers who spend their entire lives mastering the most powerful magics to summon demons and bind them to their wills.

Poor Scholar

The poor scholar is almost a cliché in Chan-la storytelling. He is a recurring figure in ancient tales, sometimes the hero, sometimes the fool.

Most often, scholars are young men and women studying to pass the Civil Service Exam to become government officials. Many are the sons and daughters of peasants. For the poor people of Chan-la, there are not many roads of self-improvement open to them. Most are born peasants, live as peasants, and die as peasants, without any hope of escape. The Civil Service is their one chance of rising in the social hierarchy. Whole villages often contribute to the training and study of their most promising children, but 9 times out of 10, their efforts are wasted. Few scholars pass the exam, and those who fail are often left with few marketable skills, so they are forced to wander the world, begging for their rice or serving as tutors to the children of wealthy parents.

Another type of scholar is the searcher after pure knowledge. These types of scholars spend their time seeking out new discoveries or knowledge which has been lost. They range from the bookish librarian to the adventuring archaeologist.

Useful skills for either form of scholar are: any weapon, boxing, or mystical skills, alchemy, appraising, artistry, astrology, begging, boating, climbing, cartography, detect forgery, forgery, herbalism, history, literacy, mining, navigation, philosophy, prospecting, survival, and teaching.

Wandering Minstrel, Actor, or Street Performer

These types of characters fill an important role in Chan-la society. They bring excitement to the dull existence of peasants and culture to the ignorant multitudes. Some believe it is their duty to enlighten the people, while others feel it is their duty to lighten the purses of the masses. This broad group is perhaps the most well traveled of all social classes, for they remain continually on the move, for various reasons. They bring news of the outside world to the rural villages. They frequent fairs and festivals whenever they can. And sometimes they band together to form troupes, both to increase their earnings by providing a large number of attractions, and for security.

Characters from this group should study heavily in the skills they need to perform their acts. In addition, they should take skills which will benefit them on the road. These include boxing, weapon, and mystical skills, acrobatics, animal handling, begging, boating, cooking, disguise, forgery, gambling, haggling, history, literacy, pickpocketing, sleight of hand, and survival.

Beggar

Even though beggars occupy the bottom rung of the social ladder in Chan-la, begging is considered to be a reputable profession. Beggars fill an important role in society, as they provide an outlet for the charitable requirements of many religions. Beggars are also recyclers of society's garbage.

But all beggars do not see themselves in this light. Some prefer to think of themselves as the downtrodden, a people who but for circumstances could have been generals or mighty magicians. Because society has misused them, they feel justified in taking advantage of society whenever possible. These beggars are opportunists, deceivers, even predators. Other beggars see themselves as performers and so they cultivate thespian personalities.

In addition to the begging skill, beggars find the following skills useful: acrobatics, acting, disguise, forgery, gambling, haggling, heightened constitution, intimidation, philosophy, pickpocketing, sleight of hand, survival, and woodworking. Drunken beggar boxing was created by beggars and is still largely taught only within the society of beggars. Weapon skills also come in handy.

Eunuch Warrior

The eunuch warrior is first of all a slave. He is someone's property, usually a person of great wealth and power. Second of all he is a male, but he has been castrated to make him suitable as a guard for concubines. There are no female eunuch warriors, for obvious reasons. Thirdly, he is a warrior extraordinaire. His owner has gone to great expense to have him trained in all the arts of war. He is arguably the finest warrior in all the land, with skills comparable to the Lohan monk.

But just because he is a slave and a eunuch does not mean he is mindless or without ambitions and desires. The first Chu dynasty was overthrown by the eunuch warrior Fen Long. Eunuch warriors are often treated more like pet tigers than slaves, for having created him, his master is often just a little frightened of his creation. Some eunuch warriors are caged, and let out only in dire circumstances. Others are lavished with luxuries, in the hope of placating them.

Adventuring eunuch warriors are rare indeed. No one would spend the time and money to train a eunuch warrior only to let him go on dangerous adventures. Occasionally, a eunuch warrior might be sent on a special mission of revenge or escort, but most adventuring eunuch warriors have either bought their freedom (extremely rare) or they have escaped. Escaped eunuch warriors are hunted creatures.

Eunuch warriors should take as many martial skills as possible. Few are allowed to learn other skills, though they may pick them up on their own.

Thief

There are as many different types of thief characters as there are types of people. Personality largely determines the type of thief to be played. Some thieves are bumbling morons whose greatest heist is stealing some clothing off a line, other thieves are consummate professionals whose daring and aplomb makes them legendary heroes. Then there is the forger, the pickpocket, the cutpurse, the bandit, the mugger, and the burglar, among others.

The thief character's skills should match his profession. Some sample thieving skills are: climbing, detect forgery, disguise, forgery, locksmithing, pickpocketing, sleight of hand, and stealth. Other useful skills are any weapon, boxing, or mystical skills, acrobatics, acting, appraising, begging, cartography, engineering, fishing, gambling, haggling, heightened senses, history, intimidation, literacy, mining, survival, and swimming.

Healer

The healer character is mostly concerned with battling disease and death. He may or may not be non-violent in nature; some believe the best way to ending suffering is to eliminate those who cause suffering. Other healer characters may be scholars searching the world for the cure to various diseases, or even alchemists in search of the pill of immortality. Some are like doctors, some like priests, some may even be veterinarians.

The healer character should take appropriate healing skills like: Qigung and Qi healing, acupuncture, alchemy, animal empathy, Feng Shui, heightened constitution, herbalism, history, literacy, and teaching. He should also take skills appropriate to his mission in life.

Boxer

The boxer is the type of character we most often associate with martial arts movies. He has some level of boxing skill, and either spends his time defending his boxing school from those who would destroy it, trying to learn the secret technique needed to defeat the man who killed his father, or going around getting into fights with everybody who insults him. Some boxers are travelers who hire out as escorts or security guards, some are students who have but one desire – to continue learning from their master.

The boxer's primary skill should be boxing. Most of his other skills should be directed towards improving his fighting ability. Any remaining skills should be directed toward whichever goal he has in life. If he is an adventurer, he should have skills which help him while traveling. If he is a perpetual student, his extra skills should be more mundane.

More Roles

As stated at the beginning of the article, these archetypes are but a small sampling of the roles available in the game. The following is a list of other possibilities, which is by no means complete.

Emperor, Empress, Prince, Princess, Celestial General, Imperial Family Member, Imperial Advisor, Fong Noble, Governor, Kang General, Prelate, High Priest, Abbot, Landed Gentry, Kang Officer, Archmage, Mayor, Caravan Master, Sifu, Master Craftsmen, Ship Captain, Guard Captain, Priest, Master Mage, Town Sheriff or Marshall of the Law, Professor, Artisan, Craftsman, Small Landowner, Government Clerk, Merchant, Imperial Soldier, Apprentice, Husbandman, Hunter, Formal Entertainer, Mercenary, Peasant Farmer, Sailor, Laborer, Fisherman, Forester, Barbarian.

I invite you to begin thinking about the sort of character you'd like to play, and making suggestions and proposals for other archetypes over in the forums section. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Once the Qigung web pages go up, we'll start building a base of archetypes to help future players start building their own characters, and the best, most representative archetypes presented in the forums will be included!